Helios Awakened (The Helios Chronicles #1) (7 page)

“I only have two lifejackets and I think the girls should wear them,” Jayden said, breaking both Andrew’s and Madison’s gaze.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. Thanks, Jay,” Andrew said, taking the life jacket from him and tossing it to Madison.

“Really?”

Madison looked between Jayden and Andrew who were both nodding at her. She didn’t want to wear a lifejacket. She wanted to wrap her arms around Andrew’s waist and feel his skin against hers. Andrew grinned when he saw Madison pouting about wearing the life jacket. It was definitely important. He and Jayden talked briefly about the operation of the Jet Ski and as Andrew expected, it wasn’t too dissimilar to a motorcycle. Once Jayden walked away, Andrew turned to Madison again. He smiled and made sure her life jacket was tightened before he threw his leg over the seat. She immediately brought her hands around his waist and locked her fingers together. Andrew looked down at the delicate hands touching his abdomen and swallowed thickly, unsure he could form words.

“I won’t go too fast, Madison,” he finally choked out.

“But what if I want you to go fast?” Madison whispered breathlessly. Andrew’s sharp intake of breath told her that he understood exactly what she was saying.

“Hold on tight then,” Andrew answered with a smile as he turned the engine on and rode away from the dock.

Madison felt exhilarated. Water was splashing up from all sides of her and she could feel the muscles in his stomach flex and move as he maneuvered the Jet Ski. She was way beyond aroused. Once he was out a good distance, he slowed down to wait for Jayden and Callie. Madison relaxed her grip and rested her forehead against his back, her breath labored. Andrew brought one of his hands down and placed it over hers, lacing his fingers with hers, both enjoying the tranquility of the moment.

“So are we racing?” Jayden asked, pulling up next to them and forcing water to splash all over Andrew and Madison, breaking their connection.

Andrew and Madison both laughed. Madison moved her hands away from Andrew and wiped the water off of her face, wondering if she and Andrew would eventually catch a break. Andrew turned his head slightly and winked at her.

“You ready for this, lead foot?” he said with that wicked smirk that seemed to trigger the cat in heat within her every single time.

“You bet your sweet ass I am.” Madison brought her hands around his waist and squeezed him tightly once more.

They spent several hours racing around the lake and then the boys dropped the girls off to sun bathe while they raced some more. As Madison sat down on one of the towels she had brought, she smiled at the happiness she now saw on both Andrew and Jayden’s faces. You could tell they were having the time of their lives.

“I haven’t see Jayden laugh so much in ages,” Callie said solemnly.

“Really? Wow! He kind of seems the type that would be laughing all the time.” Madison was curious what could make someone with such a carefree spirit feel so somber.

“He normally does but the last few years have been difficult. After he got hurt he felt a little lost. Plus...” Callie looked down, “some bad things happened a few years ago.”

Madison looked at Callie’s gloomy face unsure what she should say. “I’m sorry,” she stated with hesitance. Sorry sounded so insincere. “I know we don’t know each other that well but I’m here if you want to talk about it.”

Callie smiled. “Thanks Madison, maybe some other time. I don’t want to put a damper on today.” She then glanced at Brie and her friends, “You’re probably wondering how we ended up here, huh?”

“Well, the thought did cross my mind. You two don’t seem like you would fit in with that group of bobble headed idiots,” Madison said, lying down and glancing at her.

A huge smile crossed Callie’s face. “You see the dark haired girl talking to Brie?”

Madison looked over at Brie and her posse of gnomes and did indeed see a girl with long dark hair talking intently to Brie about what Madison was certain was something unimportant and insignificant.

“Yeah.”

“That’s my cousin, Irene. Her mom called my mom,” she said with an eye roll and Madison understood immediately that her cousin had not wanted her to be here at all. That it was a pity invitation just as Brie’s invite to Madison had been.

“I didn’t want to come since I can’t stand any of them but Jayden thought it would be fun, you know, just to piss them off,” she said with a laugh.

Madison laughed as well. “Sounds like something I would do.”

“Yeah, you should have seen their faces when we showed up. It was priceless!” Callie giggled again. “Of course it wasn’t as great as yours and Andrew’s entrance. I thought Brie was about to spit nails.” Callie chuckled as she lay down.

“Screw her!” Madison said as she closed her eyes enjoying the summer sun. “I don't need her approval.” Madison smiled, knowing that was the truth.

“Me neither!” Callie said with conviction.

Callie already liked Madison and hoped they could become good friends. She thought about how wonderful it would be to have another person to talk to about things and wondered if maybe she could confide in her what had happened to her and Jayden. She sincerely hoped this would be the case. Besides, it was clear to Callie that Jayden was having a great time with Andrew so this could be good for both of them.

The girls soaked up the summer sun for hours as the boys raced until their hunger forced them to come back to shore. As Andrew helped Jayden load the Jet Skis, he decided that he really liked him. This was the most fun he had ever had and he knew that he owed Jayden the truth. It was the least he could do.

“I was high,” Andrew said softly.

Jayden stopped what he was doing and glanced at him. “When it happened?”

Andrew nodded. “I was wrong, I don’t deny that, but she said she was 18 and I was pretty messed up, too messed up to question it or see that she was clearly NOT 18.”

Jayden frowned. “If she said she was 18 why were you convicted?”

Andrew looked down. “I couldn’t remember for sure if she said it or not and she told her dad she didn’t remember much about the night because she was so drunk. I thought about it continuously while I was in prison and I am certain she said it but... I don’t know, maybe I just want to believe she did. Know what I mean?”

Jayden nodded but was still frowning.

“The judge gave me the maximum sentence because I was a lot older than her.” He again looked down, feeling remorse for what happened, “And then I got a few years for fighting her dad when he attacked me.”

“You know, Andrew it really sounds like you had an incompetent attorney,” Jayden stated angrily. He was fully aware that a good attorney could have gotten him half the time or no time at all.

Andrew shrugged. “I suppose so but in all honesty I didn’t give him much to work with. I was withdrawing and needed a fix bad by then and... I guess I sort of felt I deserved what ever happened. I know that probably sounds stupid.”

Jayden looked at him and sighed. “It’s not stupid, Andrew.” He hesitated for a moment but decided this was an important question to ask. “Do you still get high?”

Andrew shook his head. “No, but in the beginning of my incarceration I wanted it desperately, craved it all the time,” he said, instinctually wrapping his hand over his arm. “But I’ve been off it for a long time so I don’t really crave it anymore. Not that I want to test that theory,” he finished with a sigh.

He wasn’t 100% sure what he would do if confronted with the opportunity to use again. He wanted to believe that he wouldn’t do it but who really knew what they would do in any given situation until they were in it.

“Thank you for telling me, Andrew. I appreciate it.”

“Thank you for everything. I have never really had anyone defend me. It felt... good.”

“Well, you’re welcome, man,” Jayden said smacking his shoulder as they started to approach the shore. “If you want to hang out again, I am so there. You don’t need to hide out at that trailer park all the time.”

“Thanks, Jay. I will have to take you up on that,” Andrew said as they started walking up to the girls.

“I still work on a lot of bikes so maybe you can help me sometimes.”

“That would be great. Aaron helps me get a lot of under the table jobs but I would love to come help you out.”

“Sounds like a plan then,” Jayden said with a smile.

As Andrew and Jayden reached the shore they realized that Callie was already gone and at the table, leaving Madison alone. Jayden waved at Andrew as he headed in Callie’s direction. Madison was lying on her stomach with her hair to the side and the strap of her bikini top undone exposing her beautiful back. His eyes roamed down her body and stopped at her shapely ass and then down her long, lean legs and then back up to her ass again. He swallowed reflexively as he sat down next to her.

“Like what you see?” Madison asked, glancing at his now reddened face.

“A man would have to be dead not too,” Andrew quickly replied.

Madison smiled and held on to the top of her bikini as she sat up, turning her back to him. She then glanced over her shoulder, offering him a sexy smile.

“Can you snap me up, Jet Boy?”

She giggled as Andrew rolled his eyes at her feeble attempt to come up with a suitable nickname for him. He hooked her top and in the process allowed his fingers to lightly graze her back. He smiled when her skin pebbled under his touch. She turned around and watched him intently. His body was still dripping wet and his face was flushed with excitement. She smiled at his hair which was now a chaotic mess atop his head and his eyes sparkled in the afterglow of his adventure on the water. Before she realized what she was doing she had brought her hand to his face and was lightly touching the stubble he had along his jaw. He took a deep breath and was now looking at her with lost and scared eyes. Eyes that made her instantly want to comfort him. She hesitated for only a moment before her lips moved to his.

Andrew was lost in the sensation. He felt every nuance of her soft lips and when her mouth parted, his tongue entered hers without haste, exploring her, breathing her, consuming her. His whole body became a part of the kiss as he pulled her close to him, wrapping his hand in her hair while his other hand moved down to her lower back, pulling her body flush to his. It was as if at that moment everything was right in the world. He hadn’t been in prison, he hadn’t had a messed up childhood and he was not branded with a scarlet letter that would forever mark him to the world. No, in that moment, he found solace. In that moment, she washed it all away and made him... clean.

Madison had never kissed anyone the way she was at the moment. Andrew was intense; it was as if he couldn’t get enough, like if he stopped the world would stop as well. She could barely breathe but couldn’t bear to break their connection, so she continued until her body betrayed her and she was forced to separate from him, gasping and exhilarated. She placed her head in the crook of his neck, her breathing labored and her heart racing. After a few moments, she began to lay several soft kisses there, feeling his body tremble at the contact.

Andrew wasn’t sure what he should say or do, all he knew was that what had just happened had set his entire body on fire and he was pretty certain that he wouldn’t be able to get up anytime soon. He had never experienced anything like that and longed to experience it again. Without thinking, he pulled her onto his lap and, to his surprise, she didn’t resist, instead she wrapped her arms around him and snuggled into his neck even more. With a soft breath he kissed her lightly atop her head.

“Madison.” It was the only sound he was able to mutter.

“That was... amazing,” Madison whispered against his neck.

She could feel him smile in her hair and turned slightly so that she could kiss him once again. This time it was slow and sensual, she felt an overwhelming desire to memorize all areas of his beautiful mouth. She was affected deep into her core and she could feel that he was affected as well when he shifted slightly underneath her.

“So does this mean you like me?” she said with a smirk as she looked deeply into his eyes.

“Maybe,” he said, unable to mask the smile that was spreading across his face. “I’ve wanted to kiss you since I first saw you.”

“Mmm, me too,” Madison replied.

He placed his forehead against hers, thinking what a crazy day it had been. They had been on the brink for so long it seemed. Their spark or electricity or whatever you wanted to call it had ignited when they first met. That was undeniable. A part of him wanted to get up and leave, to take her somewhere to be alone, but the reality was there was nowhere they could legitimately go. He lived with his aunt and uncle and she lived with her grandmother. He knew of nowhere really and it seemed so unusual and bizarre to 'park' somewhere with her, not even sure that was something people did anymore.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked

“Just how crazy this day has been,” he said as he laid a gentle kiss on her forehead.

“I love it so far.”

Madison gently ran her fingers along his shoulder, tracing the outline of his tattoo, following it over his shoulder onto his shoulder blades. She felt several marks there, wondering what they could be. Andrew flinched as her fingers ran over several of his scars. He didn’t want her to ask any questions about that. He wasn’t prepared to go there with her yet. It was something he just didn’t talk about. He quickly moved and helped her up, grabbing her towel from the ground. Madison stared at him a bit dumbfounded, especially noting the expression on his face.

“Andrew, are you alright?” Madison asked with concern.

She noticed that his posture had changed and he no longer had that relaxed feel about him. He was definitely in another place and she desperately wanted him back. She liked the playful and flirtatious Andrew. She liked the way his eyes had sparkled when he returned from racing with Jayden and mostly she liked the way his body had melted into hers when they kissed. Andrew blinked a few times and glanced at her troubled expression.

“I’m sorry,” he said trying to smile but failing miserably.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry about. You just looked very far away.” She took his hand in hers and squeezed it lightly.

“I was,” he replied and squeezed her hand a little tighter. He started leading her back to the camp where everyone was gathering.

“Hey Andrew, can you help me with the firewood?” Jayden asked, carrying a handful of wood.

“Sure, no problem.”

Andrew walked Madison to the table and kissed her lightly on the lips before reaching for his shirt and throwing it on. He followed Jayden to the truck loaded with all the firewood and threw his body up onto the bed, repositioning the logs on the tailgate so they were easier to access. Pretty soon a few other guys came to help as well; conveniently, Jimmy was nowhere to be found. Between all of them, they had the truck unloaded in no time.

Madison watched as the men moved the wood closer to the fire pit and marveled at the way Andrew’s biceps flexed and how focused he seemed. He truly was the epitome of a man. Raw with unbridled sexuality, strong and masculine yet there was an intimacy and gentleness about him that seemed to lay just under the surface. She had known him for less than a day yet she was certain that she could easily fall in love with him. He walked back up to her and rested his knee between her legs on the bench, offering her another kiss.

“I am going to change out of these trunks,” he said before cocking his head questioningly, “Unless you think we might swim some more.”

“No, I think I’m done swimming, the water will be too cold.”

Madison smiled brightly at him as he leaned in to her and kissed her again, not stopping until he took her breath away. She quickly slipped her shorts and shirt on and then walked back to her car to grab the blanket she had thrown in there earlier. When she returned to the table, she brought out some leftover food and made a plate for Andrew. Why, she wasn’t sure, but it seemed like the right thing to do. She popped a grape in her mouth and bobbed to the music she heard playing nearby.

As Andrew started making his way back to the table he could see her dancing and was filled with happiness. He had never really had a girlfriend. He was only 22 when he went to prison and hadn’t dated anyone, well, ever. He had no idea what he was supposed to do or whether the fact that they were attracted to each other and had kissed so passionately if she was now considered his girlfriend. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist causing her to jump, startled.

“Geez, you scared the shit out of me, Your Sexiness!”

He snickered against her neck. “You know these nicknames are very lame.”

“I could just call you, Drew,” she giggled, thinking what a boring nickname that would be.

His whole body stiffened as she mentioned his father’s name. She didn’t know exactly what had happened but she felt an immediate shift in Andrew. She quickly turned around to see his frightened and angry face. He closed his eyes and was shaking his head back and forth, trying to get the images out of his head. 

“I’m so sorry, Andrew. I’ll never call you that,” she said as she brought her hands to the sides of his face, running her thumbs along his cheeks.

She wasn’t sure what that name symbolized for him but she assumed it was the name of someone who had hurt him considerably. He brought his hands up and placed them over hers as he allowed her gentle touch to bring him back to the present. His father had not always been messed up. Both he and his mom had once been caring and kind. He wasn’t sure when exactly that shifted but when it had, his whole world caved in. He had been too young to understand the effects that drugs could play on parenting. He didn’t understand until he was much older how drugs gave the impression that they could fix what ailed you, albeit temporarily. But mostly, he didn’t understand how parents could harm or allow harm to come to their children. He had always thought that parents were supposed to protect their children.

“Andrew?” Madison asked, hoping he could really hear her.

This was the second time within the hour that he had drifted away from her. She was praying that she wasn’t doing something that was making him remember bad things. She knew all too well how that could haunt a person. He slowly opened his eyes and they looked sad again. He kissed her softly on the palm of each of her hands and then pulled her to him, holding her in a tight embrace. He knew that he needed to get his act together, that he was being very mercurial with Madison and he worried that she would think he was too messed up to pursue. She could hear his heart beating rapidly and then slowly start to decrease until she could sense that he was calm again. In fact, so calm that she heard his stomach rumble. She grinned and pulled away from him. She watched him thoughtfully before she turned and brought a plate forward.

“I thought you might be hungry,” she said, smiling from ear to ear.

“You made me a plate?” he asked, somewhat in shock.

He had seen his aunt do that for Aaron and it made his heart leap to think Madison did that for him. Maybe that was just something girls do but either way, he was thrilled that she had thought of him. Madison got that flirtatious look on her face and picked up a cherry, bringing it to his lips. The corner of his mouth lifted into a deadly smirk as he opened his mouth, allowing her to drop the sweet fruit inside. Before she withdrew her finger, he kissed it lightly causing Madison’s eyes to flutter and her breath to hitch.

Andrew smiled. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome,” Madison stuttered.

Andrew went to the table and sat down on top of it, planting his legs firmly on the bench. He spread his legs slightly and arched his brow at Madison as he motioned to the spot in front of him. Madison did not hesitate this time and sat down on the bench between his legs. This time there was no awkwardness as it suddenly felt as if that was always the way they should be. Andrew moaned as he took a bite of Madison’s salad, thinking that it was definitely the best potato salad he had ever had.

“I told you it was famous,” Madison stated smugly.

“Maybe we should package it and sell it at the local Safeway,” he said with a mouthful of salad.

She looked up at him, her heart soaring. He had said 'we' again.

“Nah, I don’t want to sell out or anything,” she recovered sarcastically and then laughed as he rolled his eyes.

“Uh huh,” he said as he brought his fork to her mouth.

The fact that Andrew was feeding Madison had her mind floating all over the place. She didn’t think guys did that kind of thing. She thought that only happened in those sappy romantic comedies that she refused to go see. Madison lived in the real world and in the real world people hurt one another all the time and there was rarely a happily ever after. But she felt an undeniable chemistry with Andrew and when he looked at her, she could actually picture herself with him 10, 20, 30 years down the road. This was something she had never considered with anyone else.

Andrew, on the other hand, was winging it. He had seen Aaron feed his aunt before and she seemed to like it. He had no real reference for relationships. His mom and dad were affectionate with one another, often too affectionate, as on more than one occasion they simply forgot that Andrew was around. While Aaron and his aunt always seemed tranquil with one another. He had never heard them raise their voice to each other or seen them be overly affectionate in front of him but there was something about the way they moved around each other that told him they truly cared about one another. He wondered if he should consult with Aaron about this thing with Madison. He was always saying that Andrew could talk to him about anything. Maybe it was time to test that.

They spent the next several hours huddled near each other as they visited with Callie and Jayden. Brie and her crew were nearby but really seemed to not pay any interest to the four of them. If it weren’t for the proximity of the tables you would not know they were a part of the same group of people. By the time the bonfire started, many people were already very drunk. Although Andrew and Madison had a few beers, they were not wasted and neither were Jayden or Callie. So the newly formed friends had a great time laughing and making fun of the stupidity of the others. When Callie brought out the fixings for S’mores, Madison leaped up excitedly.

“Oh my god... I haven’t made these since I was a kid.”

“I love them. Jay doesn’t appreciate the S’more,” Callie said, giving Jayden a look that said 'see I’m not the only one'.

“Baby, they are messy and I can never get the marshmallow right.” Both women looked at him and he quickly turned to Andrew. “Andrew, come on man, you got my back don’t you?”

Just then both women brought their gaze to him. “Ummm, ya know, I never did the whole camp thing so...I...ummm, never really had one so... I can’t really vote,” Andrew stuttered.

Madison smiled wildly. “Ohhh, I get to pop your S’more’s cherry. SWEET!” She said, wagging her brow suggestively.

She started gathering what she would need and then took his hand, dragging him over to the fire. Andrew glanced at Jayden for some encouragement but he just laughed and motioned with his hands for him to follow Madison. Andrew watched as Madison explained the intricacies of making the perfect s’more.

“See the key, Your Smoochalot, is that you dip the marshmallow in the fire,” she said with a wink as Andrew chuckled. “Many people make the mistake of just shoving it in there but then it doesn’t melt all the way through and just gets too crispy on the outside,” she said with a frown. “So you see, you need to twirl it just above the fire to cook the inside of it.” She demonstrated as she moved the stick in a circle above the flame. Andrew smiled widely.

“Then!” she said, looking at him while he brought his hand to his mouth, trying to stifle his laugh. “Only when it bubbles like this,” she lifted the marshmallow to show him that it was indeed bubbled, “NOW you put it in the fire so it can get crispy and oh so yummy.”